Virginia Environmental Group Slams Senators’ Offshore Energy Bill (USA)

After Virginia’s U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine this week introduced a bill that should open up Virginia’s coastline to offshore oil drilling, the state’s environmental group Environment Virginia has responded negatively.

Elizabeth Ouzts, Environment Virginia’s Regional Director, in a statement said that the move could be environmentally end economically hazardous, adding she was disappointed to see the senators put “our coastal regions at risk with this bill.”

“Virginia’s white sandy beaches should be for lovers, not oil spills. Every year Virginia’s beaches, where you can spot Atlantic Right whales and wild ponies, bring about 3 million people to the state and are a huge part of the local economy,” Ouzts said.

Related: VIDEO: Virginia Senators Introduce Offshore Energy Bill

Ouzts concluded:”I urge Senators Kaine and Warner to abandon this bill, which would tie Virginians to a dirty, dangerous and outdated practice, and can only result in the devastation of our coastline.”

In a release issued earlier this week Sen. Warner said that the bill “includes appropriate environmental protections.”